I Tried This $7 K-Beauty Olaplex Alternative and My Hair Has Never Been Softer

As a shopping writer, I’d like to think I have my pulse on the latest and greatest in beauty, but with so much on the market, I’ve found that the best way to discover top-shelf-worthy products is by talking to my friends. My friend was recently raving about a $9 hair treatment that has drastically improved the appearance of her split ends, so naturally, I needed to know more. That’s when she introduced me to the Elizavecca Cer-100 Protein Treatment, a K-beauty collagen-coating hair mask she purchased on Amazon. Immediately, I pressed “added to cart” (and found it’s currently on sale for just $7).

With over 50,000 purchases in the last month and 35,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, my friend isn’t the only one who has caught onto the hype of this product. In fact, it went viral on TikTok after being dubbed a dupe for the popular hair care brand Olaplex—and for a quarter of the price. One Amazon shopper confirmed this, writing that after spending “hundreds” on hair products, they found that this “protein treatment blows everything away, even Olaplex.” Meanwhile, another reviewer labeled the mask as a “miracle treatment” that makes their hair “feel like silk” while adding “bounce and shine.”

Elizavecca Cer-100 Collagen Coating Hair Protein Treatment

Orig. $9$7 at Amazon

After talking to my friend and reading pages of stellar reviews, I was skeptical. Could an under-$10 product work that well? Well, after testing out the hair mask for myself, I can confidently say that it lives up to the hype—first, here’s a little about my hair. I have shoulder-length, naturally wavy hair with oily roots that I wash daily with a gentle shampoo and conditioner. More often than not, I’m blow-drying my hair every day, and I’ve colored my hair for a little under ten years. Suffice to say, my hair isn’t perfect.

After trying out the mask, I found that my hair was the softest it had been in years. Not only that, but it left my hair frizz-free and even made my highlights from months ago pop. The mask is easy to use: after shampooing, I skipped using conditioner, per instructions, towel-dried my hair, and massaged the mask into sections of my hair. The box says to leave it in for 5-20 minutes, so I left it in for the full 20 minutes and washed it out. Going forward, I’ll implement it into my weekly hair care routine once a week.

The Elizavecca Cer-100 hair mask is currently 22 percent off at Amazon, so don’t wait to get your hands on this hair-changing product. Plus, check out other under-$10 products from the K-beauty brand below.